Madison's PTSA knows the school's talented teachers and staff are committed to bringing up its graduation rate. Beginning with the last school year, Madison has instituted several initiatives to improve freshman and sophomore success: curriculum coordinated across subjects and across grades, team teaching in core classes and Saturday tutoring sessions. Instructional specialists help juniors and seniors who are not meeting benchmarks. All students can take advantage of volunteer writing tutors in the library. While far from enough, reading scores jumped eight percentage points in a year.

I encourage The Oregonian to report on the exciting ways Madison seeks to create success. Community members who want a better picture of Madison can go to www.pps.k12.or.us/schools/madison. You'll also find opportunities to volunteer and help Madison students succeed.

LAUREN S. SHAPTON

Northeast Portland

Shapton is president of the Madison High School PTSA.

I find it interesting that we compare and grade our schools within Portland Public Schools.

In today's work environment, our kids are competing for jobs against the kids in rest of the world.

What would our Portland school's grades be against the same type of schools in Finland, Germany, India, China and other industrial countries?

Corporations look for the best-educated talent all over the world, especially in the technical, engineering, scientific and math disciplines.

TODD H. MORRISON

Southwest Portland

A new start in life

In response to Steve Duin's column "Far from paradise" (Oct. 14): I have spent many hours with the refugees.

Some make almost $10,000 a month per three-bedroom household. They choose to share bedrooms, and their rent is $650 monthly for 1,100 square feet. Duin merely described occupants and conditions of the two-bedroom units. The three-bedroom units include new carpet, new linoleum, fresh paint, and they are completely clean before tenants move in.

Some choose to leave cooked food in cupboards and on counters, which tend to gather flies. They tell me that they send money home, that they have plenty of food, that they buy cars. They are not cramped, abused or trapped. Yes, they work hard and make more money than they ever thought possible.

The price of first and last month's rent and deposit: free. The cost of their plane ride to the United States: free. The new start in life: free.

If only our forefathers could have had such a start.

LEE LANGAN

Southeast Portland

Langan is the owner of Maple Crest Apartments in Boardman.

Wood Village casino

The proposed casino in Wood Village has appealed to schools, families and cities for support. But a casino is not an industry, such as Intel or Fred Meyer, that provides many resources to the community.

A casino provides entertainment, some jobs and little else. However, it will take from the financial resources of Wood Village, Gresham and the Portland area. A small percentage of patrons might win dollars at the casino. But no new resources are added to the community. Everything given to schools will be only those dollars that were already in circulation. I anticipate poorer people suffering under this plan.

What if Washington residents come to a Wood Village casino? Again, only the resources (earnings) they already have will be taken. This compares to draining water from a healthy, trout-filled pond. At first, we may not notice.

But before long, this activity will threaten every fish in the pond.

JEFF FURLOW

Gresham

I oppose the Wood Village casino measures because gambling enterprises do not create anything of value, but are a mechanism for moving money around.

In this case, because the measures are clearly trying to tap into the Portland market, much of the money would flow to the investors out of state and leave Oregon to deal with the problems.

It would be better public policy to encourage Oregon-backed business and keep all the proceeds working in the state.

MIKE SHERMAN

Clackamas

People who want to gamble are going to gamble whether they have to travel near or far. But if Oregonians look this gift horse in the mouth and say "ta-ta," what a shame that would be.

All this money pledged to schools, plus union jobs with medical benefits, can only be good for Oregon and good for the unemployment situation.

If Measures 82 and 83 do not pass, make sure that you do not ask me in May to give more to schools. We are on a fixed income and bring into our household what we brought in 14 years ago.

I have always voted for schools. But when you refuse to accept a generous gift, and then expect me to give more, you can count my support as "ta-ta."

XAN NEMETH GRAF

Northeast Portland

Freedom from religion

Religious by any other name is still religious. Though Elizabeth Hovde ("Religious beliefs tricky to label," Oct. 14) and others avoid the word, they haven't avoided the practice. If she and her friends continue to talk about "following Christ whenever the opportunity arises" and even "find ways to make the opportunity arise" with their friends and others, they are demonstrating the very reason that the word and practice have fallen into such disfavor.

Personally, I join Mark Twain and countless others in running the other direction when approached by proselytizers of any religion.